Echo cs 590 vs Stihl ms 291 or Stihl ms 311

[D8Chumley]

Spent some time splitting the last two days, as is my tradition for this weekend [1] - https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/five-cords-one-finger.95375/

I remember reading this. My back (ciatic nerve) started bothering me Wednesday and I still ain't 100% but that didn't stop me from a little something. Got a small dump trailer of oak 3x3s that have been coming to the job I'm on in the trailer loads of steel. Steel guys throw them away so I brought home a dump trailer load, made a small sawbuck and had to test it out. The 170 didn't care to be ripping through all that oak so I'll wait for the 590 to be fixed and give it heck

 

[711mhw]

While not the saw this thread is talking about, I got a 490 echo a few weeks ago because either my (grab first for near 20 years saw) 044 is getting heavier, or I'm getting weaker. I have yet to read a negative review here or any where on Echo "stuff", and the Harbor freight pricing…… So far I am loving this lightweight saw for limbing and the smaller jobs. It was hard to pass on the TW 590 for that price, but I didn't think the (cc's) spread was enough to make sence. The 50cc cs490 seems like a perfect fit for my needs, and I feel like superman "flinging" that that little baby around!

 

[Ashful]

I remember reading this. My back (ciatic nerve) started bothering me Wednesday and I still ain't 100% but that didn't stop me from a little something.

That's funny, as I had the same exact problem Wednesday/Thursday. Actually kept me awake Thursday. Happens usually when I'm spending too many hours at my desk, and the fix is usually to get some exercise. Now, my back is tired and muscles are sore, but that feels infinitely better than that ciatic pain.

While not the saw this thread is talking about, I got a 490 echo a few weeks ago because either my (grab first for near 20 years saw) 044 is getting heavier, or I'm getting weaker. I have yet to read a negative review here or any where on Echo "stuff", and the Harbor freight pricing…… So far I am loving this lightweight saw for limbing and the smaller jobs. It was hard to pass on the TW 590 for that price, but I didn't think the (cc's) spread was enough to make sence. The 50cc cs490 seems like a perfect fit for my needs, and I feel like superman "flinging" that that little baby around!

Echo = reliable solid equipment. Their saws usually fall short of Stihl and Husqvarna on power/weight ratio, but they are well built. Around here, landscapers all buy Echo, arborist a and tree fellers buy mostly Stihl, the balance being Husqvarna.

 

[Kenster]

Stihl all the way for me. I have a MS390 that will out cut my buddy's MS 290 all day long. I run a 16 inch bar on it. All I have on our land is oak and hickory and the 390 slices through everything like a hot knife through butter.

 

[VAfarmer38]

I love my CS590. I haven't done any carb adjustments or MM but have read that it will really make a difference in that saw.

 

[rippinryno]

It died. Must've been set up too lean and puked the P&C again. My buddy that put it together for me gave me $150 without the bar and chain because he felt bad so I figured for another $250 I won't be putting into the 360 I'll have a brand new 60cc saw with 5 yr warranty. Just have to figure out 18" or 20" bar. Leaning 20" with a rim sprocket right off the bat. He is going to rebuild it for his older dad that has a problematic 059 I think he said.
The saw shop I deal with is run by an honest Mennonite family and we buy all our stuff from them through work. The father is who I usually speak with and he is pretty high on the 590 for the money, almost half the price of a new 362

Many folks will frown upon this, but if you're mechanical you can bring that stihl back to life with about $25 toward a new piston and cylinder aftermarket kit. I currently have 2 ms290's running on china top ends that will rip wood just like they did brand new.

 

[Buzzsawdust]

Good point. I dunno if I brought that up or not.

No it isn't. I'm defending the honor of Stihl's clam shell engines. You look askance at them, I say they are as reliable and durable as anything on the market.

See? Your clam shell obsession is showing again. You can keep your heated handles. "My hands sure do get cold when I run a chainsaw" said no one ever.

That very well may be. I have no complaints about my 360T.

Actually, I could say that frequently, I have a problem with my fingers going numb often when cutting in sub freezing temps, don't know why they just do and I'm always sticking them in front of the exhaust to keep them warm. Heated handles would be really nice.

 

[wock]

echo/shindaiwa is an excellent saw. much better than the "homeowner specials" we sell and I'm allowed to warranty in-house. (not that I ever need to do it.)

homelite and poulin and whatever other junk like Ryobi just gets sent back to the vendor to be disposed of. echo has a repair policy in place, so we just touch them up and sell them recon.

usually it's a "garden rental" thing that gets them returned. someone buys it, uses it and returns it. you're rolling the dice trying that stunt tho, some managers will tell you to "have a nice day" when you attempt to return it used.

 

[wock]

I had one guy the other day returned 2 poulin pros in a row. customer "issues"... I think he thought if he kept screwing them up we would give him back his money or something. I think the manager told him he was done after the second one. "if you screw this one up, you will be paying for a repair or keeping it, broken."

 

[StihlKicking]

I am a STIHL person. That being said you don't have to buy a STIHL to get a good saw. If you cut a significant amount of wood do yourself a favor and buy a pro level saw regardless of what brand it is. One thing that has alleys annoyed me personally is 60 cc class saws regardless of make and model. A good 50cc with an 18" bar will cut most wood people encounter much more comfortably and cheaper. For anything a 50cc won't handle a 70 plus cc is usually needed. Everyone's need are different I understand but 60cc saws always seem either to big or to small for the work I do.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Pgtoman68]

A Echo CS590 is built just as good as the pro Husky and Stihl saws and WAY better than their rancher models, the best buy out there by far, I got a brand new one for $302 from Zoro when they had a 30% off sale for 1 day. Far as cutting I was on a sawmill job yesterday and my customer ran my CS590 to cut some logs in half and he wanted to keep it at the end of the day, he owns a MS362 Stihl. Steve

No way anyone wanted to trade a 362 Stihl for a 590. I own a 362 and have run side by side with a 590. No comparison the 590 is a great saw dont get me wrong but you would have to be out of your mind to think it's anywhere near a 362.

 

[Ashful]

I am a STIHL person. That being said you don't have to buy a STIHL to get a good saw. If you cut a significant amount of wood do yourself a favor and buy a pro level saw regardless of what brand it is. One thing that has alleys annoyed me personally is 60 cc class saws regardless of make and model. A good 50cc with an 18" bar will cut most wood people encounter much more comfortably and cheaper. For anything a 50cc won't handle a 70 plus cc is usually needed. Everyone's need are different I understand but 60cc saws always seem either to big or to small for the work I do.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I half agree with this. In a multi-saw plan, the 60cc saw ends up being too heavy to be the “lighter” saw, and too wimpy to be the “bigger” saw. I own an 036 Pro, based on it receiving countless recommendations on this forum, and I’m personally not a huge fan of it.

But then that begs the question, why is the 036/361 the (or at least one of the) most often recommended firewood cutter saws? It’s a fairly heavy 63cc saw.

I think it’s because it is maybe the best choice for the average joe who wants to own just one saw. It will cut very nicely with an 18 inch bar, even 20” when you’re not regularly burying the nose in oak, and could even swing a 24” bar in a pinch. You can easily process stuff up to 36” diameter with this saw, and even over 40” with some extra time and effort.

The 50cc class would also work for much of what the average firewood cutter comes across, but you’re going to find yourself needing a second (bigger) saw at least sometimes. So, if you’re planning multi-saw ownership, 50cc may be the better choice. But if you own only one saw, the recommendations for the 036/361 are actually pretty sound.

Then again, if I owned only one saw, it’d be the Stihl 44x. Not that much heavier than 65cc, but oh so much sweeter. I tend to get more large hardwoods than most folks, and even had to buy a 36” bar for my 064.

 

[jwfirebird]

i never felt like i needed a bigger saw than my 361/18in , the reasons why i wanted it are fairly light at 12 lbs and has enough power (almost 5 hp is plenty unless you are a professional of some kind,and i dont want to get beat by the extra 3-5 lbs for just 1 or 2 more hp ) for everything around here, up to like 20 inch maple, ash, and cherry. dont need two saws, dont need any more engines last count i think i have a dozen other engines to take care of. so i have started going battery on what i can, the saws all does good on small stuff and way easier than a gas engine. got a battery trimmer, does alot better than people would think too.

 

[mountainlake]

No way anyone wanted to trade a 362 Stihl for a 590. I own a 362 and have run side by side with a 590. No comparison the 590 is a great saw dont get me wrong but you would have to be out of your mind to think it's anywhere near a 362.

If the CS590 wasn't close to your 362 it had a dull safety chain or wasn't tuned good, a 362 might be a bit faster like 1 second in a 15 second cut in real life, plus the 362 saws Ive seen run like chit, hard to start. Steve

 

[Firewood Bandit]

Well this old thread roared back to life.

I still say the Echo CS-590 is an excellent value, I wouldn't buy one as I opt for pro line saws I probably don't need.

However with that said, A Stihl MS362 is no where even close to a Husky 562XP. Since this was written I found a mint 357XP in a saw shop and snapped that up even though I already had one. The 357XP are just like a bigger 346XP which is the finest saw ever made, especially when ported.

 

[jwfirebird]

the hard to strart is the ngk, once you put an e3 in it and I found it starts better without the com release pushed. one or two pulls full choke switch to half then it always starts next pull.

warm just have to switch It to run and pull it, I never use the comp rel

 

[Ashful]

the 362 saws Ive seen run like chit, hard to start. Steve

Your acquaintance with a few people who don’t know how to maintain a saw has nothing to do with the quality of the saw. My 20+ year old 036 Pro starts every time, without issue or complaint. Two pulls if I used it last week, three pulls if I used it last year.

I did have to put a new fuel line and carb gasket on it this spring, after leaving ethanol gas sit in it too long over the winter. That is one down side of having older equipment, designed with materials chosen in the pre-ethanol age. Antique Husqvarnas and Echos have the same problem.

 

[sportbikerider78]

Love my echo timberwolf. Throws a rooster tail of chips 15 feet in the air like a dirt bike. Love it.

 

[T-roy_]

If the CS590 wasn't close to your 362 it had a dull safety chain or wasn't tuned good, a 362 might be a bit faster like 1 second in a 15 second cut in real life, plus the 362 saws Ive seen run like chit, hard to start. Steve

My 362 starts like a champ every time. It is the m-tronic model....

 

[micmacman]

i have the 590 for what must be 5 seasons now , i have the stihl 311 as a intermediate saw , farm Boss for the 90% of the time go to and a small stihl for light needs , can remember which size ,has the clutch start

590 is a chomper , its impressive , i recently had to have it serviced , sat and wouldnt start , learned all about pemix now and will never use anything else , as for the guy using the dozer to free a stuck saw , WTH , pop the saw from the stuck bar , pop a spare bar and chain on , if you need to use a dozer pop the head off anyway , thats a ridiculous warranty claim

the 311 , i think the 590 out performs it , thats why its a backup and a intermediate saw , farm boss usually handles most of the farm duties , the small stihl is a convenience saw

 

[Ashful]

The last post to this thread was more than 5 years ago. Guessing the OP already made the purchase in question, by now!

 

[micmacman]

The last post to this thread was more than 5 years ago. Guessing the OP already made the purchase in question, by now!

excuse the folk out of me i was researching something and it popped up and i didnt check the date so folk off

 

[qwee]

It's fascinating to try to understand the engineering behind a machine. The Japanese approach is adverse to risk - just do good with all the fundamentals in the design process. Concentrate on all of the little parts bringing them into working harmony with each other. They use already established engineering but try to improve on it. And they stay on this long-term, making little incremental improvements on their core design.

While the Husky's and Stihl's say, "Our fundamentals are good enough. We must meet our performance and weight goals." Pro saw-wise, they are leaning towards the race car philosophy of chainsaw building - lighter, faster, etc... Whereas the Japanese saws are following the pickup truck philosophy - fast enough, solidness over weight reduction, etc....

This engineering clash of philosophies can really be seen in automakers. The same thinking process that occurs in car building occurs in chainsaw building, And we all know who won that engineering battle. But the European saw builders are ahead (at least for now). They have higher aims/specs though the 'guts' of their saws probably aren't as good - the little parts don't work in harmony with each other as well though their saws aims are higher. (I actually think about this kind of stuff when I run a saw).

 

[micmacman]

It's fascinating to try to understand the engineering behind a machine. The Japanese approach is adverse to risk - just do good with all the fundamentals in the design process. Concentrate on all of the little parts bringing them into working harmony with each other. They use already established engineering but try to improve on it. And they stay on this long-term, making little incremental improvements on their core design.

While the Husky's and Stihl's say, "Our fundamentals are good enough. We must meet our performance and weight goals." Pro saw-wise, they are leaning towards the race car philosophy of chainsaw building - lighter, faster, etc... Whereas the Japanese saws are following the pickup truck philosophy - fast enough, solidness over weight reduction, etc....

This engineering clash of philosophies can really be seen in automakers. The same thinking process that occurs in car building occurs in chainsaw building, And we all know who won that engineering battle. But the European saw builders are ahead (at least for now). They have higher aims/specs though the 'guts' of their saws probably aren't as good - the little parts don't work in harmony with each other as well though their saws aims are higher. (I actually think about this kind of stuff when I run a saw).

i think you are spot on , but the slow approach stifles innovation , innovation comes from risk reward ,if you never dare to think outside the box you are doomed to stagnation

 

[Newbie78]

No way anyone wanted to trade a 362 Stihl for a 590. I own a 362 and have run side by side with a 590. No comparison the 590 is a great saw dont get me wrong but you would have to be out of your mind to think it's anywhere near a 362.

I agree. With all of that. I own them both.


There's a lot to like about that Echo, but it's obvious when you actually know what a pro husky or stihl is.